ICE reached out to a WA tribe to secure detention space. It said no
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently reached out to the Nisqually Indian Tribe in an attempt to secure additional immigrant-detention space in Washington, but the tribe said it will not house detainees now or in the future.
This year more people have been detained at the 1,575-bed Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, which is the only detention center in the region. As reported by the News Tribune in March, the center was nearing capacity as immigration arrests increased since President Donald Trump began his second term in January.
In a news release last week, the Nisqually Tribal Council said ICE has been reaching out to other tribal governments and municipalities in Washington. The council “reaffirmed the Tribe’s commitment to treat all people with dignity and respect by confirming that it will not house detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” per the release.
“We have become aware that a staff member had been in conversation with ICE without consulting the Tribal Council,” said Nisqually Indian Tribe’s Chairman, E. K. Choke in the release. “The Nisqually people are not in favor of, nor will the Tribal Council allow, the detention of individuals by ICE on our reservation or in our facilities.”
ICE did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the News Tribune. When contacted for more information Tuesday, the Nisqually Indian Tribe declined to comment further. The tribe has a 288-bed correctional facility on its reservation east of Olympia, built in part with federal funds.
The News Tribune reached out to other local municipalities to see if they had been contacted by ICE about securing additional immigrant detention space. The cities of Tacoma and Fife, and Pierce County, all said they would not work with ICE. Representatives from Lakewood and the Puyallup Tribe could not be reached for comment. Sheriff Keith Swank has been vocal about wanting to cooperate with ICE, despite a state law that prohibits local law enforcement from arresting people solely for civil immigration offenses.
On Monday, Tacoma spokesperson Maria Lee said the city has not received a proposal from ICE to house federal detainees and has no contractual relationship with ICE. In February the City Council passed a resolution affirming support for immigrants and pledged to use no city funds to “investigate, enforce, cooperate with or assist in the investigation and enforcement of any federal registration or surveillance programs” targeting people based on race, religion, citizenship status, national origin, sex or gender.
“Furthermore, the City of Tacoma does not own or operate a jail or detention facility and currently contracts for jail services with Pierce County and the Nisqually Tribe,” Lee said in an email. “State law, specifically the Keep Washington Working Act, also prohibits local government entities from entering into immigration detention agreements. The City of Tacoma remains focused on serving the needs of the Tacoma community.”
The Fife Police Department “would not engage in immigration enforcement because it’s against state law. Thus, we would not house detainees. The city also does not have an active jail/correctional facility,” according to communications and marketing manager Kelsey Geddes.
The Pierce County Jail can house up to 1,800 people, but the Corrections Bureau’s staffing budget allows the jail to house about 1,296 people among two facilities, according to its website. In April, the Pierce County Council adopted a resolution that affirmed the county’s commitment to follow the Keep Washington Working Act and established that county resources “including personnel, facilities and funds–will not be used to support federal immigration enforcement activities unless explicitly required by law or court order,” said communications manager Bryan Dominique.